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Science World’s Girls and STEAM Summit is a career-exploration event for young people aged 12–14. Science World announced 300 participants for its seventh annual summit in 2024, with workshops, mentorship and a keynote; a later announcement described the ninth annual summit planned for October 2026. Those announcements describe planned attendance, not verified final turnout.
What is Science World’s Girls and STEAM Summit?
The summit is a recurring Science World program that introduces young people to possibilities in science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM). Its format combines hands-on workshops with mentorship and a keynote, connecting activities to people and careers in STEAM rather than treating the event as a lecture alone.
Science World says the program is intended to address the gender gap in STEAM careers. Its 2024 announcement also described year-round online resources, workshops, livestreams and events associated with Girls and STEAM.
What participants were announced for the 2024 and 2026 summits?
| Edition | Announcement and planned date | Announced participants | Program details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024, seventh annual summit | Science World announced the event on September 25, 2024, for Saturday, November 2, 2024. | 300 girls aged 12–14 were planned; the announcement does not establish final attendance. | The theme was “Future Forward!” The release described workshops, mentorship and a keynote. |
| 2026, ninth annual summit | STEMCELL Technologies announced the event on September 22, 2026, for October 3, 2026. | 300 participants aged 12–14 were planned; the pre-event announcement does not establish final attendance. | The announcement named Maritza Louis (Klukʷtús skʷukʷúsnt), an Indigenous visual development modeler and concept sculptor, as keynote speaker, and described mentorship, hands-on workshops and STEAM exploration. |
The 2026 announcement was published before its scheduled date. It establishes what organizers announced, but does not confirm that the summit took place as planned or report turnout or results. The 2024 release likewise describes a planned event and should not be read as a verified attendance count.
#1 Best Overall
- ⭐ GIRLS ENGINEERING KIT & SCIENCE KIT, 100+ PROJECTS : Build 100+ hands-on engineering and science models — gears, levers, circuits and working machines — that turn STEM concepts into real experiments your daughter runs herself.
- ⭐ REAL LEARNING. REAL PERFORMANCE: Develops problem-solving, creativity and scientific thinking. Every project teaches a core science, technology, engineering or math idea by doing, not memorizing — confidence earned, not taught.
- ⭐ SCIENCE KIT FOR KIDS AGE 8-12: Age-right engineering challenges with clear, illustrated step-by-step guides, ideal for elementary and middle-school girls exploring science experiments at home.
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How does the summit connect activities to careers?
Workshops give participants a chance to engage with STEAM, while mentorship and a keynote bring career paths and role models into the conversation. Science World’s 2019 retrospective described attendees meeting STEAM role models and taking part in workshops. Together, those elements offer a way to explore possibilities beyond the often narrow picture young people may have of who works in these fields.
The 2026 announcement adds a specific example of the range of work represented: keynote speaker Maritza Louis works in visual development and concept sculpting. The 2024 announcement emphasized the event theme, “Future Forward!” rather than naming its keynote in the available description.
Rank #2
- 6 IN 1 STEM KITS: Our stem projects includes 6 colorful, easy-to-assemble projects, including: Fiber Optic Light, Graffiti Robot, Starlight, Music Box, Windmill, and Ferris Wheel. Great for kids to start easy and work up to more complex builds (Battery Not Included)
- Build Confidence & Skills: Each project is accompanied by an independent instruction manual, with its difficulty level clearly marked. Children can choose the project according to their difficulty level, making assembly fun, building confidence, and leaving them eager to try more
- Cultivate Key Skills: Our STEM kits help kids learn essential science concepts—like engineering with ferris wheels and windmill structures, light science through optical fibers and star lights, and mechanics with music box gears and robot movement—while also building hand-eye coordination, color recognition, and focus through hands-on play
- Functional & Useful: Every project in our girls engineering kits becomes a real-life item kids can use and enjoy. The ferris wheel decorates a desk, the music box plays melodies, and the star light glows as a nightlight—so the fun continues long after building
- Friendly for Kids Hand: Sntieecr stem building kits is made of kid-safe KT board. Each building block has smooth, rounded edges. Our building projects also adopt the expected cutting process, children can easily take out the building blocks without sharp tools, ensuring the safety of children
Who is included in the program?
Science World’s 2024 announcement used the program name Girls and STEAM while explicitly describing that edition as inclusive of attendees and mentors who identify as women, girls, trans, genderqueer, non-binary, two-spirit or gender questioning. That inclusion statement is specific to the 2024 release; the available 2026 announcement does not provide equivalent wording, so it should not be assumed to describe every edition’s policy.
What historical impact figures are available?
Science World’s 2019–2020 annual report recorded 300 girls empowered by STEAM career possibilities, 60 girls from underserved communities and 53 Mentoring Café mentors. These are figures for that reporting period, not current annual totals, and they should not be treated as directly comparable with the 2024 or 2026 announced participant targets.
Rank #3
- MERMAID GIFTS: Decorate, plant, and grow your own mini terrarium in a mermaid egg-shaped environment. The mermaid toy is a fun and engaging 7 year old kids gifts. Use the quick-growing seeds and under-the-sea decorations to bring your mermaid terrarium kit to life (Mermaid Garden measures 5.25” h x 3” w.)
- KIDS GIFTS: Give the perfect mermaid gift for girls to kids who love science and hands-on activities! Everything you need to grow your own mermaid terrarium kit for girls is included! The craft for kids ages 6-8 includes potting mix, quick-growing chia seeds, mermaid stickers, pearl accents, mini mermaid accent toys, colored sand, and more
- EASTER BASKET STUFFERS: Easy indoor gardening with great results! These enchanting mermaid toys make fun Easter basket stuffers for kids and birthday gift ideas. Our guaranteed-to-grow terrarium kit means a green thumb for all! Included chia seeds sprout within 3-5 days of planting for immediate results. Potting mix is vermiculite, and all seeds are from and packaged in the USA
- CRAFTS FOR KIDS: Explore the wonderful world of nature and science with a mini terrarium for kids. This STEAM science toy for girls is fun to do with a unique learning experience. Spark curiosity, inspire creativity, and intrigue about ocean life while creating a magical mermaid under the sea craft
- TOYS FOR GIRLS: Growing a mini mermaid garden makes an easy and fun 6 year old girl gift. The activity encourages independent play while developing nurturing skills! Since 1976, Creativity for Kids has proudly made fun and creative experiences today to nurture kid's confidence for life. This mermaid gift for girls is recommended for ages 6-8+
Science World’s retrospective on 2019 also described the event as free and said 60 of the 300 girls might otherwise have been unable to attend Science World programming. That is a historical description of the 2019 event, not evidence about the price or access arrangements for later editions.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- 6 IN 1 STEM KITS: These science experiments contain a reptile robot, a balance car, a bubble machine, a fiber lamp and a buzzer wire game kit. Kids will be proud of building their own robot. REQUIRES (NOT INCLUDED): BUBBLE SOLUTION, AA BATTERIES
- FAMILY BONDING TIME: Doing scientific experiments together is a good way for parents and children to build a great family relationship. Complete science projects with your kids as their friend and teacher, that’ll be an unforgettable and precious time
- UNIQUE GIFT IDEA: Our DIY robotic kits designed for kids age 8-12 are cool stuff for a budding inventor, very suitable for elementary students to show their talents in a science fair. Packaged in a beautiful gift box, these assembled electronic gadgets are perfect gifts for boys and girls for birthdays and Christmas
- LEARN BY PLAYING: Encourage your kids to build their own robots and enjoy DIY science activities. By playing with these electric robots, children's curiosity and interest in physics will be stimulated, and they'll know how much fun it is to create a circuit by themselves
- EASY TO ASSEMBLE: All components of the STEM kits are made with odorless and safety materials. Mini screwdriver and detailed step-by-step instruction manuals make it easier and more convenient to assemble the model
Rank #4
- MASSIVE SCIENCE KIT FOR CURIOUS KIDS - More than 15 experiment activities including dueling water tornadoes, building an erupting volcano, growing a crystal, two geologic dig kits, and more!
- ENOUGH TO GO AROUND - This science lab allows kids to conduct multiple experiments and is great to share with family, friends, or classmates. Enjoy the magic of discovery together!
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- HASSLE-FREE EXPERIMENTS - Clear, easy-to-follow instructions build young scientists' confidence as they experiment, allowing them to focus on the joy of exploration and discovery.
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